


Mission: Crimson Rescue

by Friendlylycanthrope



Series: Let's Talk About It [31]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Best friend roadtrip!, Crimson Waste, Gen, Not Focused On Shipping, Rescue Mission, Super pal trio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26553178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Friendlylycanthrope/pseuds/Friendlylycanthrope
Summary: The morning after the events of the Portal, Catra and Scorpia depart to rescue Entrapta from the Crismon Waste, where Hordak banished her when he discovered she was a double agent.
Relationships: Adora/Catra/Glimmer (She-Ra), Scorpia/Lonnie
Series: Let's Talk About It [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1714624
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

“Ooooh, the  _ poncho cape is back!” _ Glimmer cooed in delight at her girlfriend. Catra looked over her shoulder from where she was preparing for her journey, and smiled as she rolled her eyes. It had been a while since she needed to don the same obscuring clothing that she had needed when she was on the run from the Horde. 

“Come on, give it a twirl.” Glimmer continued, her eyes sparkling. 

“You know I’m trying to  _ not _ get noticed, right?” Catra teased. “I’m going to a barren wasteland, not on the runway.” 

She threw her small bag over her shoulder and walked out of the kitchen, satisfied with the provisions she had packed. Glimmer, leaning against the doorway, lightly swatted Catra’s perfect rear on her way out the door. Catra’s cheeks turned an embarrassing red and she hurried her pace while Glimmer followed her out. 

They both walked out to the main gate of the castle, where Adora and Bow were waiting for them. Her wrist was splinted, as well as at least half of her fingers. Smaller marks and bandages peppered her skin that was visible from Hordak’s torture on her. She was in no shape to be out of bed with the damage she had gotten, but Catra still knew that she would offer to help. 

“Are you sure that you don’t need help?” Adora asked anxiously, already prepping a hand over the gem of the Sword of Protection that was transformed around her good arm. “We don’t know what’s waiting for you out there, or how Entrapta is. You could need healing, and I have healing powers--”

“That you still don’t know how to use.” Catra pointed out. “I have the first aid kit Glim packed me, I’ll be fine. Besides, I won’t be alone. Scorpia will be here soon in the Scorp-jet to pick me up. We can handle ourselves.”

Glimmer put a firm hand on her shoulder. 

“We know you will. But nobody has ever returned from the Crimson Wastes, so we need you to stay in constant touch to know that you’re okay, or if you do need anything.”

Bow took out a few small radios of his own invention, similar in design to his tracker pad. 

“One for you and one for Scorpia. In case you get separated. Extend this dial to do long range so that you can reach us. And then one for Entrapta once you find her.” 

“Thanks Bowseph. Although I’m sure the first thing she’ll do with it is take this thing apart.” Catra smiled, pocketing the three devices. 

“Remember to stay hydrated, the desert is extremely hot.” Adora reminded her. “And stay out of the sun, or you’ll get a heat stroke, especially with your fur. Wear a hat so you don’t burn.”

Outside, the strong wind of an air jet picked up as Scorpia descended. Her jet, a small aircraft shaped like a sinister scorpion, was one they hadn’t seen since the getaway at Princess Prom. But with the Fright Zone abandoned, Scorpia was able to retrieve her family’s signature vehicle and bring it to her new home, along with more supplies for her growing population depending on her. 

Six jets blasted the ground with hot air, drowning out any sound until it gently landed on its delicate insect like feet. The engines stilled to a loud whir from their thunderous roar, and a moment later the front windshield slid open for a familiar face. 

“Wildcat!” Scorpia beamed. She climbed out of the cockpit, followed by Lonnie. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

A rush of relief ran through Catra on seeing her. The last time they saw each other was inside the portal, where she had failed to save Scorpia from being taken by the void. 

“I’m glad to see you too, Scorps.” Catra smiled, trying to keep it cool. “I will allow you to hug me for four to five seconds--”

“Forty five seconds?!” Scorpia beamed, already rushing in. 

“No-- Four TO five!” Catra’s muffled voice came from Scorpia’s embrace, totally smothered in affection. But, she gave in and hugged back, unable to keep cool how happy she was to see her friend. 

“Lonnie, didn’t expect to see you here.” Bow greeted the former soldier as she joined the group. 

“Oh I’m just hitching a ride.” Lonnie explained politely. “I have a meeting with the Minister of Social Security to touch base on our operations.”

“You mean the Queen?”

“Angella may be Queen of Bright Moon, but not of our independent kingdom. We recognize Princess Scorpia. Anyway, thought I would catch a ride and it was on the way anyway.”

Scorpia finally released Catrafrom her grip, and the smaller girl didn’t shy away from the embrace like she would have years ago. 

“You did it.” Scorpia said more quietly, full of pride. “You got the information out. You stopped the portal. I knew you could do it.”

At that, Catra’s ears did turn down with a hint of reservation, both unsure of receiving the compliment from her friend and sad at what it had cost her. 

“That’s not the only promise I made in there.” Catra said with new determination to change the subject. “Let’s say our goodbyes and hit the road already so we can save Entrapta.”

Catra turned over to her two girlfriends for their last farewell before her adventure. 

“I’ll be gone a few days minimum, hopefully not more than a few weeks. But radio me if you need anything.” Catra said. 

“Only if you promise to call us if you need anything.” Glimmer agreed. 

“If you need back up, we can be there within half a day.” Adora confirmed, still anxious. 

“I’ll be okay. It’s not like we’re going into battle against an army, it’s just a lifeless wasteland.” She paused, looking like there was more she wanted to say before she left. “But… I will miss you guys.”

Her girlfriends wrapped her up in a calming embrace. 

“We’ll miss you too, Cat.” Adora said. “Just come back to us in one piece so we can celebrate the end of the war together, okay?

“There’s another reason I need you two to hold down the fort here.” Catra whispered darkly. They kept their huddle, but lifted their heads to make eye contact. “Hordak. He’s still a threat as long as he’s at large.”

“You think it’s possible he’ll make a move now, when he’s so weak?” Adora asked slowly. It didn’t seem likely. 

“I don’t think the war will truly be over until we have him locked down.” Catra explained. Glimmer took her hand quietly. 

“It’s okay, nothing will happen. Etheria is safe now. He’s just one man.” She tried to comfort. 

“Still…” Catra seemed unsure. “Just keep your eyes open, okay?”

She pulled away from their embrace and they all looked each other over lovingly, hoping it wouldn’t be long until they could embrace again. 

“Remember to stay in bed, Adora.” Catra smirked at her, knowing that the warrior would do everything to avoid her prescribed bed rest during her recovery. Even just coming here was pushing it. 

“Oh I plan on convincing her to stay put.” Glimmer teased, wrapping an arm around the shoulders of the tallest of the three of them. The dark look in her eye implied that she had her ways of convincing, probably involving less clothes. Adora’s cheeks reddened at the thought, and she bit her lip. Catra chuckled. 

“Okay, don’t have too much fun without me.” She teased back at both of them. 

Catra looked over her shoulder to where Scorpia was saying goodbye to Lonnie by the Scorp-Jet. She quirked an eyebrow curiously at the pair, noticing the closeness with which they stood together. It wasn’t just Scorpia’s lack of boundaries either, there was something in the way that Lonnie reached up to gently pat Scorpia’s cheek fondly before they parted that told Catra all that she needed to know. 

“Keep us updated as you go!” Glimmer waved. 

“We’ll miss you!” Adora added, leaning on her smallest girlfriend. 

Scorpia and Catra climbed into the jet, waving one last time before their engines started up again and the ship was slowly pulling away into clear skies. 

Despite the roar of the engines outside, the cockpit of the jet was shockingly calm, perfectly blocking out the sound of the thrusters to allow for conversation. Out the windshield, they were soon only accompanied by small whisps of clouds as they reached their cruising speed. 

Catra popped her feet up on the dashboard while Scorpia drove them West, towards the Crimson Waste. She smirked in anticipation of what she was about to say. 

“So, you and Lonnie, huh?” She said, trying to act casual as she inspected her nails. She didn’t need to look over to feel Scorpia’s reaction in the small space. She sucked in an enormous breath nervously, tried to hold it, then let it shudder out. Her face turned pink and she giggled nervously. 

“Oh my gosh, is it that obvious? I can’t help it, she’s so cool! Oh man and I tell ya, she has been a  _ huge  _ help with Safety! Seriously she has been --”

“Crushing on you.” Catra interrupted. It wasn’t what Scorpia was going to say, but she wasn’t about to correct her. Scorpia gasped. 

“Wait do you think so? I wasn’t sure!” Scorpia looked over to Catra hopefully. Catra gave her a comforting smile. 

“From what  _ I _ saw, it looked like she was interested. And that was only for like, two minutes. It is a little unexpected though. I didn’t know you had feelings for her! Why didn’t you come to me!”

Scorpia shrugged. 

“I don’t know! I mean, is that weird? We had that whole  _ awkward situation _ a few years ago, I wasn’t sure, plus you’re always talking about Boundaries,”

Catra scoffed light heartedly. 

“Oh Scorps, that was years ago. That is so in the past. I’m honestly just glad that you were able to move on from that! Besides, I came to you about all this Glimmer and Adora stuff.” They both laughed at that. Scorpia relaxed and leaned back into her seat, keeping her claws on the wheel as she sighed smittenly. 

“Well what can I say.” She explained. “I guess I just really like tiny butch women.”

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


When they arrived over an endless swathe of yellow sand under the hot sun, they started to look out for places to land. 

Turned out, the Crimson Waste wasn’t as barren and featureless as the average desert, but peppered with mountains and cliffs, canyons and towering bones that had stood quietly for centuries against sandstorms and sun. Catra briefly wished that she had a map so they wouldn’t get lost, but no such thing existed. Few Etherians ventured into the desert, and those that did never came back. She would have to do her best to memorize the landmarks they passed. 

She noticed that Scorpia was driving them around looking for a spot to land. 

“Right here, there’s a big clearing at the top of this canyon.” Catra pointed out. But Scopira seemed unsure, and shook her head. 

“It’s out in the open. We should find more of a cover to conceal the jet while we search.”

“Why would we do that?” Catra asked. “It’s not like there’s anyone around to steal it or anything. Nobody followed us here. No reason it would just fly away without us.”

“I know, but always best to play it safe, right?” Scorpia defended with a shrug. “The horde always said, never leave an unattended vehicle in an unfamiliar area.”

“We’ll be fine.” Catra waved her off. “Let’s not burn up all our fuel looking for a place to land. Just take us down already.”

“Alright.” Scorpia conceded to the reason of her old commander. After all, Catra was the brightest and cleverest strategist in all of Etheria. 

She carefully maneuvered the Scorp-Jet to land on the smooth rocky surface at the top of the canyon. After shutting it down, they both climbed out and looked over the cliff at a beautiful landscape of red bluffs, bleached bones, and scatterings of dangerous cacti across the inhospitable landscape they needed to trek. 

“Okay.” Catra said after a deep breath of hot, dry air. “We’re two expert trackers and former military officers. Entrapta is one excitable loud mechanic. And between us is a lifeless wasteland. Between the two of us, we should be able to find her in no time.”

“That’s the spirit!” Scorpia cheered from her side. “And then the Super Pal Trio will be reunited!”

They walked off into the heart of the desert at midday full of confidence that nothing would go wrong. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not posted in so long because my mother passed away recently. I haven't really been able to do much, I'm just with my family... Hopefully I can start to get back to the things that make me feel happy again soon. I had half of this done before the news, so I finished polishing it up so I could get an update out. I promise, I will never drop this project completely. It might just take some time.

  
  


Catra scanned over the dusty landscape with her spyglass. The horizon stretched out before her, orange landscape blending with accents of purple rock and bone. 

“Huh.” She remarked curiously. It was strange, but it almost seemed like there was already a pre-existing path that cut through and around the hills and bluffs. The path was firm packed, as though from years of being walked on by generations of movement. It would be strange, since nobody ever came in or out of the Crimson Waste. But, she chalked it up to being an ancient highway of a lost civilization that used to dwell here, perhaps in the time of the first ones. Bow’s dads would surely love to do an archaeological survey here. 

“Do you see any signs of her?” Scorpia asked at her side. The old Catra would have made a mean reply about what signs of a missing mad scientist would actually look like. It wasn’t like she left a note to her coordinates. But she wasn’t the old Catra any more. 

“She would probably try to find shelter from the sun.” Catra theorized out loud, still looking over the vast landscape. The wind picked up, spraying them with more sand and wrapping them in an inescapable warmth that had become a constant discomfort. At least for Catra. Scorpia was quite verbal about how her tough exoskeleton was loving this climate. Perhaps her Scorpion ancestors originated from this hostile environment, leaving behind these ancient highways she had been noticing. 

“There.” Catra handed over the telescope and pointed to a feature a few miles to the West. Scorpia observed it as Catra explained. “Looks like those giant bones make a sort of cave. It’s the closest spot to the place where her skiff would have crashed.” 

They had already found the drop off point, where her skiff, set to remote driving only, would have crashed into the desert once it ran out of fuel. After a quick investigation, they determined that Entrapta must have still been unconscious when it went down, otherwise she could have rewired it to take her back. There wasn’t too much sign of injury, on the bright side, and the trail was disappearing as the winds constantly rearranged the sands. 

“Huh, that’s odd. It looks like there’s some sort of road just before it.” Scorpia pointed out. 

“I noticed it too.” Catra said, eyeing the darker path of gravel that ran from north to south between them and their target. “It might be from a long time ago though. I doubt it leads anywhere any more.”

“Should we take the Jet?”

“No, we gotta save fuel for getting back out of the desert. It looks like we can make it if we walk within an hour.”

“Got it!” Scorpia happily complied, as though Catra were still her commanding officer. Her loyalty knew no bounds to her friends, and she trusted Catra with her life more than she trusted it in her own claws. “But first! We gotta  _ fuel up _ ourselves, eh Wildcat?”

“Is that a beach bag?”

Scorpia had a canvas bag slung over one shoulder that was so big it might as well have been a backpack. The decorative scorpion print on it was surely to make it look more personalized, but by someone with a steadier hand than Scorpia had. The robust metal canister of water which she pulled out of the bag that bore scratches and dents seemingly in the same shape as the pattern on her pincers, however, was much more her style. 

“Yeah! Well no, it’s just a bag. But I could bring it to the beach!” Scorpia happily blabbered while she held the water out to Catra. “Lonnie made it for me during one of the crafter’s fair workshops! You remember, from that big to-do we had over at Safety a weeks ago--”

Catra smiled and raised an eyebrow, seeing the prized possession in a new light. 

“So  _ Lonnie _ made it for you, huh?” Catra teased playfully. SCorpia smiled as her ears turned red to match the soil around them as they walked towards the skeleton like structure in the distance. 

“Haha yeah.” Scorpia said dreamily. Catra rolled her eyes at how smitten Scorpia was, grinning with satisfaction. “She is so good at making things! I mean, way better than me anyway.” Scorpia continued rambling. “Like we wanted everyone to be able to know how to make and fix stuff in their new homes, so we set up all kinds of workshops-- I sent you an invite! It must have gotten lost in the mail-- and we had these artisans come from all over, but wouldn’t you know it I just could  _ not _ manage anything with these big beefy claws! The pottery class was a nightmare; I still think I haven’t washed all the gritty clay out from my claws and- HA you should have seen the instructor when I almost cut right through most of the tools he gave me! So then Lonnie kind of gave me some of the things  _ she _ made, cause I mean, who wants to eat cereal out of a horde ration plate, am I right? And she keeps on coming over to check in and bring me things that I can’t make myself even though I keep  _ trying _ to pay her back-- that’s why I’ve been sneaking some money into her empty shoes when she isn’t looking--”

“Geez Scorps,” Catra shook her head holding back a chuckle. “You’re telling me that she is basically furnishing your house for you since you moved, and you still don’t know if she likes you back or not?” To Catra, it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“What? I don’t know! What if she’s just being a super nice friend?”

“Did any of your other friends help you like that?” Catra asked. “Kyle? Rogelio?”

Scorpia gasped, pulling her pincers up to cover her mouth at her quiet understanding of the new epiphany. 

“Oh my gosh  _ they didn’t _ . Do they not like me? Maybe I should make them something…” 

Catra laughed. She would have to hold Scorpion's claw and walk her through this whole thing.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


The best friend squad was halfway to Angella’s private office, escorting Lonnie there, when they met the Queen herself. She carried a stack of papers in one arm, and walked so briskly that she almost ran through the group of teens, interrupting their catching up. 

“Oh, Miss Thunderstorm! I’m so sorry to keep you waiting,” Angella apologized immediately, putting on a polite smile. Lonnie just reassured her with a friendly smile in return. 

“Oh no worries, Majesty.”

“Wait wait wait, hold up,” Glimmer interjected, motioning a time out with her hands as she came between them. “Is your last name seriously  _ Thunderstorm?” _ She gawked at the former soldier. “How did you get such a cool name! And why didn’t I know about it!” She gushed. “That’s like, the most action hero name I’ve ever heard in my life!”

Lonnie crossed her arms, and gave a sneaky knowing look at Adora before answering Glimmer. 

“Oh? I thought you would know by now, that all the Horde cadets get to choose their own last names when they’re kids.”

Adora went pale. She had feared and put off this day ever since she came to Bright Moon, and now Lonnie was blowing years of work. 

“My full name is Lonnie Juice Thunderstorm.” She continued proudly. “Picked it when I was seven.”

“Wait, so Horde soldiers actually have last names?” Bow asked, his mind spinning. “But that means…”

The world moved in slow motion as all four of them turned to face Adora. Lonnie wore a shit-eating grin while Glimmer and Bow looked at her almost betrayed. 

“Adora!” Bow gasped as he made the connection. 

“Why don’t I know my  _ own girlfriend’s _ full name!” Glimmer joined him. 

“W-well you never asked!” Adora defended as her face reddened. 

“I always just assumed you didn’t  _ have  _ a full name!” Glimmer said. 

“Why wouldn’t you tell us your own name, Adora? If that even is your real name!” Bow lamented with over exaggerated theatrics. “I don’t even know who you are any more!”

“Oh,” Lonnie chimed in, her devious smile growing. “She never told you what she picked?” 

The attention was off of Adora, but now she wished she could stop this train. 

“Don’t!” Adora warned her foster-sister, but Lonnie’s eyes sparkled. 

“That’s cause her full name,” Lonnie drew out, eating up all the eager attention she was getting from the best friends and finally getting back at Adora for every slight when they were young. “Is Adora Happysmile Rainbowfist!”

“Et tu, Lonnie?  _ Et Tu? _ ” Adora whined over the chorus of insufferable  _ AAWWW _ s that broke out of Glimmer and Bow. Even Queen Angella had to clap a hand over her mouth to contain her fit of laughter, a small snort escaping her, while her daughter refused to hold back the onslaught of gleeful mirth. “I was like five!” Adora claimed in her embarrassment. 

“How did we never know this!” Bow squealed. 

“Honestly, we should have asked for your file!” Glimmer choked out between laughs, pointing to the files that her mother carried which held the information on horde defectors. 

“Well, Adora and Catra defected separately.” Lonnie pointed out, trying to recover herself. “We only have files on those that defected during the Immigration.”

“Besides,” Added Angella, helpfully joining in the fun. “I asked Catra about creating files for herself and Adora after the Immigration. And she threatened my life if I ever documented such things. And now I finally understand why!”

“She  _ What!” _ General Abner’s unmistakable voice echoed down the hall furiously, which only caused more laughter. 

“Oh oh oh!” Bow said. “Wait, what is Catra’s name!” He asked Adora. Adora held up her good hand in defeat. 

“Oh it’s more embarrassing than mine. But  _ I’m _ not going to be the one that she has to be mad at later for telling.”

The attention quickly swiveled back to Lonnie. 

“Catra? Her full name  _ is _ worse. That’s why I waited two years longer to pick mine. We were dumb kids.” She laughed. “It’s  _ Catra Applesauce Meowmeow! _ ”

This time even Angella couldn’t help but let out a laugh. 

“Perhaps if I had known that, I wouldn’t have been so intimidated by her when she came here. No matter, we have much to discuss, Miss Lonnie.” Angella walked back down to her office, leaving the best friend squad to collect themselves. 

“To think. We were always seeing her as this fearsome, imposing, capable leader shrouded by darkness before she defected.” Bow said in amusement. “She still is all those things. But remember when we found her in the woods? And she was all mysterious and deadly? Her middle name was  _ Applesauce!” _

“Hey, we were  _ five _ ,” Adora pointed out again. “I mean, it’s not like the princesses are much better. Mermista the mermaid princess? Frosta the Ice princess? You’re an archer named Bow for crying out loud!” She was hardly offended, more bummed out if anything. But the amusement had still reached her, right when her full name was revealed. 

“Come along,  _ Miss Rainbowfist, _ ” Glimmer took Adora’s arm while overplaying the theatrics as though she were at a cordial ball and greeting a high diplomat. “I promised the great Lady Meowmeow that I would keep you off your feet whilst you recover. We must retire to the royal chambers poste haste.”

Adora rolled her eyes and chuckled. She would be hearing about this from the best friend squad for a while. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't see the beginning notes: I haven't updated because my mother passed away recently. I will get back to writing eventually but I need some time with my family. Thanks for your patience.


	3. Underground

  
  
  


Catra decided she hated walking around in the desert. Actually, she just hated the desert. 

She thought that she hated water. But this place? So much worse than Salineas. The sand got in all her fur, under her claws, in every little nook and cranny. The terrain was so loose and shifty at times, that it took athletic maneuvering just to stay upright, micro-correcting every step. In general, she preferred places where she could easily disappear if she needed to, somewhere to hide. But the desert was wide open, nowhere to hide, not even a morsel of shade from the heat of the daymoon. 

Scorpia, however, seemed to be built for this kind of climate. Catra swallowed second-hand guilt wondering if this was the kind of place she could rule over as princess if the horde hadn’t ruined her kingdom. The same army that she wielded against most of the world at a time. 

But that was in the past. If she wanted to rescue Entrapta from this wasteland and get back to Bright Moon for the end of the war celebrations, she would need to get her head out of the past. 

If Catra wasn’t so out of breath from the uphill trek, she would still be teasing Scorpia about her growing crush. They laughed and shoved until it became too exhausting to keep up in the heat. 

The skeletal frame loomed before them on top of the dune, dusty purple against the harsh oranges of the landscape. A series of cracked and withered ribs reached up for the sky. It’s long, horned skull still hung open at the jaw, an echo of terror from another eon. And yet, signs of life persisted, clinging to this structure in the form of tarps and ropes that held the behemoth together for shelter. 

“Hopefully we can at least find some clues in here.” Catra grumbled as she walked through the mouth of the beast towards a curtain that led to the secluded shade. “If she isn’t here, we could at least get a better lead.”

Catra pushed aside the tattered sheet and could instantly feel the temperature of the air drop a few degrees in the dark cover of the shade. But she could also feel the presence of several dozen or so other people instantly watching her and Scorpia, and she stiffened. 

People of all different species fixed the pair with vicious glares. The interior was far from abandoned, but resembled a bar. Not just any bar, but the sort of sketchy, perilous place that nobody knew how to find unless they were on the run from the law, the kind that only crusty low-life thugs would hang out at in hopes of finding that ‘one last job.’ They could be found in any major city in Etheria. Even the Fright Zone had these types of uninhabitable zones, full of their own army’s bounty hunters. 

Most of the people were not human or elf, a contrast compared to most of Etheria that Catra had seen where the opposite was true. Many were lizard-folk, the rest Catra hardly recognized. Some looked like her, others looked like something else entirely. All of them looked ready to fight her at the slightest provocation. 

In the same half a second that it took Catra to absorb the shocking discovery, she came to the important decision that she needed to defend herself by blending in with them. Her ears picked up and her tail swung threateningly behind her as she unsheathed her claws, trying to look fierce. It wasn’t difficult for her. 

“Just follow my lead for now.” She whispered over her shoulder to Scorpia. 

They made their way into the establishment and most of the eyes on them went back to other matters. Catra hissed at one bug-eyed woman with one antenna who made a sour face at her, and she turned away. The more she looked, the more weapons she saw. 

“But I thought that the Crimson Waste was an abandoned-- well, y’know,  _ wasteland _ .” Scorpia whispered back to Catra. Nevertheless, she squared her shoulders and followed in trying to blend in, even though the awestruck curiosity on her face gave her away. Catra took a seat at the corner of the bar, where she could turn just slightly in order to see the large room they were in. Low, guarded conversation picked up again all around them. There were even people watching her from the ceiling rafters, people who had ears like hers but looked like they could even give She-Ra a run for her money. She was more concerned with the indigo-scaled snake woman that carefully watched her with slitted pupils from over the rim of her glass while all the others slowly lost interest in the newcomers.

“Clearly our records were wrong. I don’t think anybody in Etheria knows about this place--except for all the people here.” Catra thought out loud while she drew her whittling knife. Best to let these people know she was armed too, not to mention carve out a piece to help her think. Just like Razz always said, When there’s fear, carve it clear. 

“I don’t see Entrapta anywhere here…” Scorpia squinted around the room, and most people quickly looked away as her gaze drew near. She didn’t even have to try like Catra did to look intimidating, her height and weight alone could conquer most folks in this place, not to mention her claws, tail, and armored plates along her body. Little did they know that it wasn’t Scorpia they had to look out for, it was her shorter, skinnier companion with the pile of wood shavings. 

“No, but maybe one of these people have seen her. If there’s a place like this, there’s bound to be more. Somebody must know something.”

“What do you want.” The woman behind the bar towered over Catra, her blue skin holding tattoos and piercings, her four horns scratched and battle-damaged. There was no ‘what can I get for you’ type of customer service at an outlaw’s den like this. 

“We’re looking for someone.” Catra chose her words carefully, making sure to show her black claws. The woman sniffed and crossed her arms. “An old friend.” 

The woman squinted and grunted in disapproval, her lip curling to reveal yellowed tusks. 

“I might know something, I might not.” She spat. 

Catra didn’t bring any money with her to the waste, thinking she wouldn’t need it. Aside from that, it wasn’t something she normally carried with her since she got used to living in Bright Moon, where all her needs were taken care of. Her stomach turned sour just at the thought that she was becoming spoiled and cared for. 

“Well? I got other customers,” The woman said impatiently as Catra mentally patted all her pockets. But before she could ask about making some sort of alternate arrangement, Scorpia dropped a few pieces of metal on the counter from her pincer, the prototype coinage of New Scorpiana; on one side showing its amount and on the other, a stylized symbol of her own curling scorpion tail.

The woman picked it up quizzically, unfamiliar with the currency, and examined it while Catra gave Scorpia a grateful look.

“Hmmm. Don’t recognize it, but it's genuine copper and silver.” She concluded, pocketing the coins between her breasts. “So, who is it you’re looking for anyway.” She said, leaning on the counter by her elbows, bringing their faces closer so they could lower their voices. 

“A mad scientist.” Catra said. 

“Engineer.” Scorpia corrected. 

“Her name is Entrapta.” Catra continued as though uninterrupted. 

The woman leaned back and glanced around the room, then swiped a thumb over her nose inconspicuously, acting casual. 

“Oh her.” She said dryly. “Yeah, she died.” And she turned around to wipe her counters free of the drool of a passed out lizard. Catra froze, she couldn’t even breathe. That couldn’t be right. There was no way that could be true. 

Were they too late?

They didn’t have a second to even share a panicked glance with each other, as a new threat appeared from across the bar. Seeing that they were left by the barkeep, the indigo snake woman tapped her friend’s shoulder as a signal, and they both surrounded Catra and Scorpia in a few steps. The woman kept Catra in her seat with her talon-like fingers pushing on her shoulder, and her friend, A giant heavyset sea elf, did the same with Scorpia. Catra cursed. 

“You look familiar...” The sea elf growled in a wet voice. There were tanks and tubes around his neck and chest filled with water, probably an accommodation that allowed his kind to exist at all out here in the hot, dry climate. It kept his skin moist and sticky, and he stank of rotting fish. 

“Yess, Sso uncommon, to ssee folkss such asss yoursselfss here..” The snake woman chimed in, annunciating the S’s in her speech. Catra realized it was because she was missing one fang, as only its twin poked out from her jaw alone. 

“You must have us confused with someone else,” Catra said in a low voice, a threat that they wanted to be left alone. But their grips on their shoulders tightened. 

“I don’t think so.” The sea elf gurgled, the words tripping over his double chin, and each spine on his skin twitching. “I wouldn’t forget the Force captain that ambushed my grotto.” Catra didn’t betray any sense of confusion in her expression, leveling him instead with a challenging glare. “Three generations, my family used that grotto passage for our black market dealings, never a whiff to the authorities of Salineas. Then five years ago, it was seized by the Horde out of nowhere. Decades of crime undone in a day, it did. I’ve known no peace since I was forced out of me own home. And I remember the split devil’s eyes that helmed that lead ship.”

_ Shit _ . Catra knew exactly what he was talking about. Back when she was working with Adora while she was inside the Horde, they tried to work together to gain enough ground that their superiors on both sides wouldn’t grow suspicious of their reducing civilian fatalities. They tried to end the war by deescalating where they could, working together to make sure that no unnecessary lives were at risk, no essential supplies were lost, minimalized casualties. They had a steady line of victories under their belt that wouldn’t involve decimating the other side, kept tabs on the movement of the others’ armies all while their commanders were none the wiser, only letting their closest comrades know. And one of the plots that they had gotten away with was when Adora told Catra about the illegal trafficking of firearms, drugs, and slaves that had been untraceable in Salineas. It was a problem for the rebellion, and something the Horde could gain from if they seized their secret trade routes. That way Catra would win the favor of Hordak without trampling innocent villages. It took her a month to track them down based on what Adora had told her, and only a day to overtake their base by naval attack. Hordak was pleased with the secure location, the confiscated firearms, and captured criminals he could put to work in his armies.

Apparently, she still wasn’t free from the sins of her past, and paying the price for it. But while they could threaten her life all they wanted, they had no business bringing Scorpia into this. Besides, if she had any hope of finding the truth about Entrapta, they had to move. 

Catra desperately surveyed the room for a chance out. The bar woman clearly saw them in distress, but didn’t seem to care. In fact it seemed to be the case with all of the ruffians that were close enough to notice them, nobody bat an eye at the threat of impending violence in the corner. Some even watched with bored curiosity, wondering what the result would be and perhaps placing bets. 

“Hold up!” a new female voice cut in, gruffly taking the sea-elf’s arm, needle-like claws digging into his sticky blue skin. Catra caught a glance of white fur, stained orange with the dust of the desert, over the man’s shoulder. “No way you’re taking these two and turning them in for all that gold!”

Instantly, everyone in the tavern fell silent, the chattering halted and the quiet activities put on pause as everyone looked over to their corner. Catra’s heart raced. The sea-elf threw his arm to wrench it free of the woman’s grip. 

“Nobody deserves it more than me! You lay off if you know what’s good for ya!” He threatened her. But already, the other patrons of the quiet bar were standing up, and surrounding the whole group of them, weapons ready, and eyeing the prize of the pair of them with greed. The sailor seemed to realize this two seconds after Catra, when they were fully surrounded. He reached backwards blindly for the bar until he felt a bottle, and smashed the bottom against the counter. He held the neck, pointing it at the advancing crowd of ruffians. 

“Go ahead and try to take them! I ain’t scared!” 

With that signal, it was almost like the permission was given and the whole building erupted into riot and noise, clashing violence and blades zinging through the air. Catra and Scorpia were fast to react from their decades of military experience, ducking to the ground just as a bleeding frog man went flying over the bar. Scorpia quickly used her hard carapace body to cover up Catra’s smaller body, tripping the sea elf who intended to capture them as he stumbled backwards over them. 

“Okay that didn’t work,” Scorpia had to speak in a raised voice over the clatter of the brawl. Someone tried to dart through the crowd straight to the pair as they hid, and Scorpia quickly lashed out her tail and paralyzed him as soon as he was within range. Catra quickly grabbed his dagger from his stiff fingers. 

“We need to get out of here, fast!” Catra agreed. But everywhere she looked, their exits were blocked. As far as she could tell, the only main way in or out was the main door they had come through, and it was on the opposite side of the building from them. Catra stood to her full height to look around, quickly uppercutting and shoving aside a lizard person who came at her without even looking at their face as she scanned the walls. 

“This way, quickly!” A female voice called out, the same one from before that announced to everyone the bounty on their heads. Catra looked over the bar, and saw a white magicat with short hair, a dark gray patch over one eye and a thick fluffy tail, extending her hand to her. One of her feet was already disappearing down a trap door that was concealed behind the bar. Catra held the knife to her threateningly while Scorpia covered her back.

“How can we trust you?” She demanded. It may have been a way out, but she was the one that put them all in danger in the first place. 

“Come on, I’m not taking you by force which is better than everyone else here!” She insisted urgently. “Do you want to get out of here walking or hogtied?” Her annoyance with the delay was present in the way her tail lashed impatiently. Catra could hear the sting of Scorpia’s tail lashing once again at a would-be assailant as she quickly did the math. 

If she turned out to be hostile, Scorpia and Catra could take her. They’ve faced far worse odds in the past. 

Seeing her make up her mind, the woman dashed down the soil-carved stairs, and Catra followed after her, signalling to Scorpia to follow. The trap door shut behind them, and they continued down at least two stories of stairs in near total darkness until they hit the lower level, where it became a long passage. 

The further they got from the secret entrance, the darker their surroundings became. But as soon as they reached the hallway at the end of the stairs that led them here, their guide took an unlit torch from the wall and lit it with her flint. The area around them suddenly flushed to a flickering orange life in the flame, including the visage of their guide.

The darkness was soothing after the intensity of the glaring sun, and being so far beneath the earth they noticed that the temperature was several degrees cooler, another incredible relief. It smelled as earthy as it felt, harder packed dirt beneath the loose and shifting sand being carved away seemingly over decades or longer. The ground was lumpy, worn down by the footprints of hundreds of others before them walking these same paths. If they listened closely, the echoes of their footsteps could almost sound like the distant whispers of the ghosts who created this secret place. 

As for their host or potential captor, she was a slight woman, a white magicat with her hair kept buzzed short. She had an occasional gray splotch of markings over her body, including one that covered less than half her face over her right eye. She was dressed lightly, and had ropes and belts that looked like they were meant for climbing or exploring caves, but enough to allow full movement and agility and keep her cool and unburdened in the desert sun. 

“My name is Gemma. No need to introduce yourselves, I already know from what just happened. High General Catra, second in command of the Horde empire, and Force Captain Scorpia. Not every day that someone as high profile as you comes into the Crimson Waste.”

“Well to be fair there, we didn’t know there was anything or anyone out here at all.” Scorpia said. Gemma turned to lead them down the long corridor, and the two followed her as they talked. 

“Criminals, outlaws, bandits, anyone who is on the run from someone comes out here. It’s the one hiding place that nobody wise would follow. But we still live here, if you can make it. So what would bring two horde officers to our home?”

“We were looking for our friend. She was banished here by Hordak not long ago.” Catra answered curtly, her heart sank when she remembered the uninterested way that the bar woman had told them the news. “But it might have been for nothing.” She said more quietly, with a dour face. “Also, the horde isn’t a thing anymore. We both defected ages ago, and just recently took down Hordak, the war is over and the army was disbanded.”

“Well, not a lot of news travels here easily. It’s kind of a dead zone.” Gemma shrugged. “Although, I do have news for you about your friend. The engineer?”

“You do?” Scorpia said eagerly. 

“Yes, she is alive. But you need to collect her and leave the Waste as soon as possible.”

“Wait, what?” Catra grabbed her shoulder and forced her to stop and look at her. 

“Is she alright?”

“A minute ago we were told she died. How can we trust you? You could just be leading us straight into a trap.”

“But if she isn’t lying,” Scorpia interjected at Catra’s side. “Then we can’t give up hope! I’m not going to forgive myself if I leave without checking every lead. We have to try!” She implored. 

“Listen, there’s this code of thieves honor around here.” Gemma explained, putting up her free hand to show as though to show her unarmed innocence. “Not everyone lives very _honorably_ out here in the Waste, but most still adhere to this out of self-preservation. The tradition is, that if some unknown stranger comes around asking for someone, you claim that they’re dead. Doesn’t matter if you don’t even know who it is they’re looking for or even if that person is your enemy. The first priority is to get bounty hunters, investigators, and cops  _ out _ of the waste before they blow up the secret about this whole place and we risk out entire way of life. Obviously two horde officers-- or, I’m sorry,  _ former _ officers-- coming and looking for a mad scientist would be terrible for everyone here in the Waste. Imagine what the horde would do if they knew about all these people, all these resources. They were trying to get you out of here as fast as possible.”

The logic made perfect sense. Catra’s tail twitched in annoyance to comply with that much. She was about to interrogate further, when suddenly the ground rumbled and dust fell from the ceiling. The three women quickly balanced themselves and looked around in worry at the cavern as it quaked, worried about becoming trapped. But, like an oncoming thunderstorm, it merely grumbled rather than roared, and seemed to pass harmlessly as the pebbled around them stopped shivering. 

“What was that?” Scorpia asked, still looking around the darkened hall as though expecting it to return any moment. 

“An earthquake. Luckily one of the smaller ones. They’ve been getting more common lately. Come on, we have to move before there’s another.” She took off down the hall again with Catra and Scorpia following. 

“Where are you taking us?” Catra asked. 

“This path leads to a town inside a canyon, it’s known as the Valley of the Lost. It’s where most folks live and work, like me. It’ll be easier to smuggle you around and out of the Waste in the crowds there.”

“Why are you helping us? You could turn us in for the bounty, why should we trust you to actually help instead of--”

“Taking you to a trap? I did consider it. But this is more important.” Gemma interrupted. “Because your friend, that mad scientist, has been turning the valley upside down. She’s uncontrollable, and shaking up every way of life here. No personal space, infiltrating and stealing from anyone once she decides she needs something, and pissing off every single gang leader there is. We’re on the verge of an all out turf war just for her _curiosity_. And what’s worse: as soon as she got here, the earthquakes started! And they’ve only been getting worse.”

“That does sound kind of familiar.” Catra smiled at the chaos her friend was able to cause. 

“You just have to know how to handle her.” Scorpia agreed with equal fondness. 

“Yeah, no thanks.” Gemma said irritably. “You need to take her  _ out _ of the Waste so she can leave us alone. I’m trusting you to never let her back here once you are out of sight! Grab your friend and leave this place as fast as you can.”

“Well at least we both want the same thing.” Catra said. “But I don’t understand how Entrapta could be causing these tremors. Her thing is tech, she isn’t an elemental princess.”

“Princess Onyx could.” Scorpia added helpfully “The Earth-powered princess from the West. I’ve been studying all the princesses lately as part of becoming one. But she’s miles away, still in her kingdom according to the latest intel. It’s like you said, Entrapta isn’t even an elemental princess. She doesn’t even have a runestone. She doesn’t really have any powers aside from her hair, which she probably made herself.”

“It’s probably just a coincidence.” Catra shrugged off. “Just some witch hunt, totally unrelated.”

“Oh it’s her alright.” Gemma said with certainty. “She always shows up right at the center of them  _ right _ before they start, then she collects all the data and disappears again.”

“We’ll see about that.” Catra mumbled. She did not appreciate the way that they talked about the Princess who held a major part in ending the war that they all hid from. She was no stranger to taking the blame for any little coincidence that bothered those around her. One figure in particular never failed to villainize her, even as a child. 

They continued to walk down the dusty cavern in quiet, with only the hollow echoes of their feet.

“We’re almost at the Valley of the Lost. I know a guy. He can help us find your friend.” Gemma explained over her shoulder. Soon her torch lit an end to the tunnel, a cavern wall. A rusted metal ladder glowed lightly in the flame light, taking the tunnel straight up only about fifteen feet, still too dark to see. 

“After you.” Gemma smiled, waving them ahead of her to the ladder. But Catra didn’t move, and so Scorpia didn’t either. Their guide sighed and rolled their eyes, putting her torch in a holder on the wall similar to the one at the beginning of the tunnel which she had taken it from, before climbing up herself. Only then did the other two follow her up.

At the apex of their climb, Gemma struggled only for a moment to open the hatch above her. Unlike the one they descended through, this one was some sort of round metal rather than a square of wood, and it had a large cranking mechanism to lock it. As soon as it cracked open, bright desert light poured in strong and hot. The hinges squealed as the door opened, and Gemma climbed out. Catra followed first, then Scorpia. 

Where they found themselves next was some sort of store room, with shelves lined with bottles and cartons of food. The oppressive heat was surrounding them once again, much to Catra’s further dismay. 

“What is this place?” Catra started quickly, eager to take her mind off the dry air. She followed Gemma to the only door out of their pantry closet. What lay beyond the door seemed to answer her question for her: They were in a bar, not much unlike the one that the tunnel connected to. Instead of tapestries hung over an ancient ribcage for shade, it was built out of clay in a round structure, and one wall seemed to be a cliff face that was carved out to make shelves behind the bar. There were more people mingling in this place, and they were more lively and talkative than the last bar they were at. Darts were thrown, bets were made, cards were dealt all around rather than suspicious glances from over the brim of a glass. Not to say it wasn’t dangerous, everyone here was still clearly an outlaw from the way they dressed and acted, the weapons they carried and the scars they bore. 

Gemma seemed relaxed despite their surroundings, as though she were safe at her own home rather than laying in the belly of the beast, escorting fugitives with a bounty over them through a smuggler’s den, but Catra remained on edge as she counted all the threats around her, the ones she could take in a fight and those she would have to watch out for. 

“The Crimson Waste is home to the largest natural canyon in Etheria.” Gemma explained. “And all inside it, is this makeshift town of bandits, built along the walls and bottom. That’s where we are now.”

“Doesn’t seem much better than that last place.” Catra grumbled, digging her nails her palms painfully, trying to find a grounding sensation in the whirlwind of a day they had had. “Worse, even. It’s crawling with criminal low-lifes. Any of them could recognize us and try to turn us in for that bounty.”

“Then maybe you should stop looking at them and letting them see your face like that.” Gemma chastised like she was explaining to a child. Catra growled and pulled the hood of her poncho up over her ears, hating how hot it would make her in the already devastating heat.

They made their way across the bar, a mainly open space floor plan aside from a few tables where diverse races of sharp-fanged criminals scowled over negotiations, cards, old tales that stretched the truth thinner than a spider’s web. 

When they stepped out the door, the brilliant light almost blinded them, a far cry from the cool, dark tunnel that had led them here. When their eyes adjusted, they found an amazing sight.

Just as their guide had said, they were at the bottom of a monstrous canyon, some at least thousands of feet deep. But it was so wide that the light poured in at midday. The red cliffs surrounded them, twisting and turning paths rather than a straight path, in places it branched away into other paths, or deeper into the earth in tall caverns of orange sandstone. Just like the savannah above, more ancient bones protruded from the earth along with unusual rock formations.

Huts and tents, caravans and construction scaffolding, surrounded them in every direction, climbing up and clinging to the very walls around them. The place they had just left was one such clay dome building that was near the bottom of the chasm. In most places, the stones and bones were used in perfect harmony with their architecture; ribs used as ladders to the upper parts, rock pillars used as support for larger structures. And all around, were the same people they had already seen. People with the faces of insects, frogs, lizards and snakes, people with tails and claws, elves and humans in rare sight, all with a wolfish snarl on their lips. There were no children, but many elders. Many missing eyes and fingers, lots of weapons on belts. 

“Keep up!” Their guide yelled over her shoulder, raising her voice over the hubbub of the crowd. Scorpia and Catra rushed forward to not lose track of Gemma. Catra kept her gaze down, hiding her face and especially her distinctive eyes from anyone else that might recognize her. 

“Where are we going?” Scorpia asked in a low voice, not unaware of the dangerous smugglers den they were in and the unsavory characters that were all around them. 

“I know someone who can take you to your crazy friend. You can lay low there for a while, and for a pretty penny she may be able to reunite you with the scientist.” Gemma explained as she walked. The course she took was winding, as the natural footpaths of the valley formed around the twists of the canyon. They seemed to be heading North, Catra noted, remembering that they had entered the desert from the South. 

Just then, the low rumble in the ground started again, but stronger this time, getting closer. All around them, furniture shook and dust fell down from the cracks in the canyon and building walls while the ground rumbled beneath and around them. Everyone halted their conversations as their faces turned serious or anxious, hands steadying any fixtures around them to keep from falling. Their silence was filled with the grating of rocks until it passed like thunder rolling over the sky, and after a cautious hesitation, normal activities resumed again, although with a more watchful and suspicious tone. 

“Ugh, two in one hour? They’re just getting worse.” Gemma complained, eyes still on the walls with disapproval. Overheard snippets of conversation around them seemed to be on the same subject matter. Everyone was getting fed up with all the interruptions in their daily lives. Catra’s fur prickled once again at the implication that Entrapta was somehow to blame. 

“The sooner we can solve this the better.” Catra growled. “We’ll find Entrapta and be out of your hair and then we’ll see if they get better.”

Scorpia gasped all of a sudden and jumped, as though she had been pricked by a pin. 

“Fiddlesticks!” She cursed.

“For the love of -- Just  _ say fuck _ ,” Catra groaned. But even she knew that such choice words as Fiddlesticks only ever came out of Scorpia when she was really on edge. 

“Catra! Do you remember what you said when we parked here?” She forced through shut teeth, her face turning anxious. Catra’s ears turned upwards, sensing her discomfort. 

“What?”

“When we picked a place to land the J-E-T, remember?”

“Scorpia, everyone here knows how to spell.”

“We left in the open!” Scorpia suddenly burst out. 

“What are you-- oh, shit.” Catra realized. 

_ “It’s out in the open. We should find more of a cover to conceal the jet while we search.” _

_ “Why would we do that? It’s not like there’s anyone around to steal it or anything. Nobody followed us here. No reason it would just fly away without us.” _

_ “I know, but always best to play it safe, right? The horde always said, never leave an unattended vehicle in an unfamiliar area.” _

_ “We’ll be fine. Let’s not burn up all our fuel looking for a place to land. Just take us down already.” _

The hindsight was so painful it was like getting stabbed in the back. They couldn’t have possibly known that the desert wasteland was full of people, not just that, but deadly criminal gangs. 

“What’s going on?” Gemma asked, a hint of concern. 

“Our getaway ride. We left it out in the open.” Catra whispered, turning her face away from all the other people on the street. Gemma leaned in with interest. 

“What kind of vehicle are we talking about here?” She whispered. 

“A jet?” Scorpia whispered a several pitches higher than her usual voice, as she squirmed in place like she had to use the bathroom. “What are the odds that it’s still there do you think?”

Their guide’s eyes widened as she leaned back, relaxed once more, and giving more confidence in her answer. 

“It’s been stolen; a hundred percent.” She guaranteed. “Would stake my life on it. Something like that doesn’t go unnoticed in this type of neighborhood. It’ll probably be taken apart and sold for pieces. Probably not too far from this valley.”

Scorpia’s soul temporarily floated out of her body in distraught shock before she snapped back to herself in a cold sweat of panic. 

“That was a family heirloom!” She almost cried with no voice. “It’s the most intact piece of my family’s old kingdom that was still left. It was the only thing that Hordak let my family keep for joining the horde!”

“Scorpia hey, look at me.” Catra was quick to throw a life saver to Scorpia before she drowned, a bit too familiar with panic attacks of her own, or of her girlfriends’. “Hey, we can still make an action plan, okay?” Scorpia looked into Catra’s eyes desperately, trying not to let herself get carried away. 

“How are we going to get out of this desert without it? It’ll take days to hike out, all I have is a beach bag with sunscreen!”

“Okay, you know what? We’ll just change plans. We gotta split up.” Catra strategized. “If you leave now you still might be able to track it down before they do too much damage, yeah? And I will find Entrapta and then we can meet up with the walkies Bow gave us. It’ll be faster that way.”

“What if I can’t find it? It could be anywhere by now!”

“If you can’t find it, then you need to focus on getting us some other way out of here. It’ll still be faster than staying together for both things. Maybe there’s an old skiff or something we could, you know,  _ borrow _ back from them.”

“Wait wait wait, you can’t just split up.” Gemma interrupted, concerned. “The whole reason I’m helping you in the first place is so you can get your little gang back together and get out. I’m really sticking my neck out for you folks, you’re trying to make my job harder by having me track you all down all over again?”

“Thanks for the concern, but we know what we’re doing.” Catra retorted. “This isn’t our first time in dangerous territory. Either way, we  _ will _ need a way to get out of the desert eventually.” She didn’t hold back the sour taste in her voice, she didn’t have any loyalty to Gemma and little reason to trust her. Her tone helped her to blend in around the den of thieves, and nobody batted an eye at the dangerous looking trio. 

“If I backtrack the way we came, I can be there in half an hour if I hurry.” Scorpia calculated. She had no idea where her bearings were, how far or what direction the underground tunnel had gone from their original spot. Finding it above land would be a bust.

“Radio me updates when you have something, or if you get in trouble.” 

“Same to you, Wildcat, Over.” Scorpia saluted. Then she ducked around the crowd back to where they came from. 

Catra had to admit that deep down, she was worried about what Gemma had said. Maybe they shouldn’t have split up, given all the circumstances they found themselves in which they never could have planned for. But that was one of the few things that the Horde did well for them: train them for constant action, change, to come up with new plans on the fly. 

She looked back at Gemma expecting her to lead the way. But the other magicat seemed annoyed, grumbling under her breath while her narrow eyes followed Scorpia. Her tail lashed behind her, the longer fluff swaying in the warm air mesmerizingly. But her ears pointed forward, trying not to give away her true disposition. Catra was too familiar, it was like looking in a mirror. It was so rare that Catra ever saw anyone like her. In both the Horde and greater Etheria that was part of the alliance, she had only ever seen probably two other people like her. She didn’t even know what they were called. But in the Waste, it was like two or more of her kind were always visible just from where she stood, and it made her feel small. The world was getting bigger. 

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Gemma said, snapping Catra out of her thoughts. She shook her head, wishing she had a piece of wood to whittle to keep her mind clear. “It’s been hard enough on all the people of the valley just dealing with that scientist. Now I’ve got you two splitting in all directions-- what’s next?” She continued walking down the path, forcing Catra to follow her down the street again. 

She could tell that the woman was still irked, and one part of her enjoyed that since hey, Catra didn’t like her much either. She had talked poorly of Entrapta, and still hadn’t given her much reason to trust her other than not turning her in for a bounty yet. On the other hand, she needed Gemma to be on her side, she was the only lead they had to getting Entrapta back and safely out of the Waste. 

“Where are we going?” Catra complained as they walked together. Gemma seemed to be taking them on a path up the side of the canyon, closer to the top rim of the valley. By now it was only a few hours after midday, and the sun was going down but the heat was not. Catra wished she could take off her hood, or just throw away the whole poncho. 

“To my friend in the Upper Rim. It’s on the edge of the valley. There’s folks there that can find anybody.”

“So why haven’t you asked this friend to track down Entrapta before?” Catra challenged. “It doesn’t seem like anybody here would mind getting their hands dirty if they wanted to take out the new thorn in their side.”

“Some have tried.. But she’s too slippery. I’m counting on the fact that you can actually handle her better than them.”

The more they walked, the higher on the wall the path went, at a very slow incline. They passed many buildings and people, sellers and thugs along the way and Catra tried to remember landmarks that would help her find her way if she needed to. They passed mainly in silence, apparently both knowing what they each thought of the other. The oppressive heat surrounded Catra and found her even in the shade, without so much of a light breeze of comfort. Her fur stuck to her skin in an unpleasant sticky way, and her mouth was dry from the walking. 

About twenty minutes later, Catra could just start seeing over the rim of the valley to the rest of the sandy desert beyond. Large rock faces still stood out to obscure the schism in the orange earth, nearly concealing it but leaving gaps. Even up here, tents and huts were built less densely than at the bottom where bandits and goons were still milling about. 

“We’ll be there soon.” Gemma let Catra know. Then she stopped in her tracks suddenly with alarm, her dark ashy ears pointing upwards. Catra’s own ears swiveled around like radars in response, trying to detect what sign of trouble Gemma may have caught on to. 

It was a second later that she heard the ground rumble far off, starting in the valley, a few miles from the direction they had come from. She gasped as she turned around just in time to feel the ground vibrate slightly as it started, and it rapidly became more ferocious. This one was worse than the other two she had felt previously, within seconds she was barely able to keep her footing as the ledge they were on crumbled away. She swung her tail for balance as she quickly leapt backwards looking for more solid footing before the two mile sheer drop claimed her. 

Catra felt a clawed hand grab at her poncho in the back and yank her back as Gemma snatched her up. She half dragged the two of them further along the ledge where a pillar formed an archway overhead, connecting the side of the cliff to the far side of their precipice. They both instinctively huddled together, heads down and arms covering their heads as rocks and sand poured in from the desert above them. Boulders collided with their covering thunderously, raining down debris as the world tore itself apart. Catra’s ears pinned as flat as they could against her skull to block the deafening noise, she could hear people in the distance screaming in fear. 

She took a chance and opened her eyes even as the chaos continued around them. Sheer slabs of the cliff face were crumbling away and sliding down into the valley, turning to dust as it tumbled down the winding path. She felt the earth shatter beneath her seat, almost jostling her off the edge all on its own as the ground continued to shake. 

She couldn’t see what was coming from over the archway where they cowered. She couldn’t have heard it coming over the thunderous cacophony around them. She had no way of knowing that they were not safe under their structure, that this pillar that had lasted eons and centuries could be undone in seconds of chaos when the earth was furious enough. All she saw was the cracks in the walls, before so much dust and sand fell all around her that it completely obscured everything and she couldn’t even see her own hands, lost in a torrent like a waterfall that muffled their cries for help as they joined the chorus of mayhem around them. 

Catra struggled. She lost sight of Gemma, of the ground beneath her in the shifting landscape that tried to swallow her. She couldn’t open her eyes against the sand that covered her face, filled her mouth, weighed down her limbs as the ground fell away from under her. Catra couldn't tell if she was falling with the sand off the cliff or not. 

Catra struggled as long as she could, but she wasn’t stronger than all of Etheria trying to bury her alive, and when the stones tumbled closer with each quake, the sand turned red and the world went black.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaa sorry I'm sorry that I haven't been writing. Been dealing with grief. But I am still writing. Sorry. Probably lost a lot of readers during my hiatus there. So, thanks for sticking around, if you're reading this. Comment you thoughts. Hearing positive reviews waters my crops and feeds my family. Next will be an update to the beast you made me, so I'm alternating between updating that fic and this series. Big plans ahead, if only I could get myself to write it.

**Author's Note:**

> Spoiler: Things gonna go wrong


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